How life has changed in Calderdale

Calderdale's population increased by about 11,400 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 200,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Calderdale increased by 5.9%, from just over 192,000 to 204,000.

The addition of about 11,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Calderdale was home to, on average, 4 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Calderdale

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Calderdale increased by two years, from 38 to 40 years.

This area had a slightly higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,000 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 4,000.

About 11.0% of people in Calderdale are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Calderdale by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

Calderdale saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

In 2011, just over 1 in 10 (10.5%) households in Calderdale had a single parent, compared with 9.2% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising a married couple decreased from 36.5% to 32.6%.

Across the region, Craven saw the next largest increase in the proportion of single-parent households (from 6.8% in 2001 to 8.1% in 2011).

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of single-parent households, as the regional average grew from 9.5% to 10.4%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Calderdale residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.0% to 1.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.0%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Calderdale remained close to 1.3%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Calderdale by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Calderdale

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Calderdale was among those who said they had no religion, rising 12.4 points.

In 2011, 30.2% of respondents in Calderdale gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 17.8% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion and described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Calderdale, 60.6% said they were Christian, compared with 75.6% in 2001. About 7.8% said they were Muslim, compared with 5.8% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism increased from 0.3% to 0.4%.

In Calderdale, 7.2% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.9% in 2001. Across Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population that said they had no religion in Calderdale increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Calderdale by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Calderdale

The percentage of Calderdale residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 7.2% to 7.0% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.5%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 3.0% in 2001. While the percentage of Calderdale residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 89.5%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.0% in 2001 to 6.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Calderdale that rented privately increased from 9.4% to 16.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in seven (15.2%) households lived in social housing, compared with 16.8% in 2001. The percentage of Calderdale households that owned their home decreased from 71.2% to 66.6%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 9.1% in 2001 to 15.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 16.9%.

Private renting in Calderdale increased by 7.1 percentage points

Percentage of households in Calderdale, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Calderdale residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.8% to 5.5% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (80.7%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 67.6% in 2001. The percentage of Calderdale residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22.5% to 13.8%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Calderdale decreased by 4.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Calderdale, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Calderdale working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 11.6% to 8.7% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.8%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.7% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 12.6% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Calderdale decreased by 2.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Calderdale, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Calderdale

In 2011, 8.3% of Calderdale residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from 5.8% in 2001. The 2.4 percentage point change was the largest increase among ethnic groups in this area.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 89.7% of people in Calderdale said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 93.0% in 2001. About 1.4% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.8% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.2% to 0.4%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Calderdale increased by 2.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Calderdale by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Families in Calderdale

The percentage of households with children fell in Calderdale, but at a slower rate than in Burnley (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Calderdale).

In Calderdale, the proportion of households with children decreased from 30.7% in 2001 to 29.3% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Burnley decreased from 33.7% to 29.2%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of households with children decreased from 29.9% to 28.7%.

The proportion of households without children in Calderdale increased from 60.6% to 62.1%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.8% to 8.6%.

The proportion of households with children was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Calderdale residents that were unemployed increased from 3.8% to 5.0% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (53.5%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 54.6% in 2001. The percentage of Calderdale residents that were self-employed increased from 8.0% to 9.5%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Calderdale increased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Calderdale, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

The percentage of adults in Calderdale that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 12.3% to 13.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under one in two (47.0%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 51.8% in 2001. The percentage of single people in Calderdale increased from 27.0% to 32.1%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.8% in 2001 to 11.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 10.6% to 11.6%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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